Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC
member countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of
the ADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations usedon the maps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or
acceptance by the ADRC.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
MANAGEMENT
Case Study of Japan

ADRC
2011

CONTENTS DISASTER PROFILE OVERVIEW OF DM SYSTEM OTHER ER INVOLVED AGENCIES/BODIES-SELF DEFENCE FORCE-NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY LEGAL BASIS FOR ER-

DISASTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TEAMS OUTLINE OF THE ER MECHANISM-JAPAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION TEAMS-JAPAN RED CROSS SOCIETY-

NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY – NHK-

BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE ER AT NATIONAL LEVEL- CABINET OFFICE, MLIT, MHLW,FDMA ER AT PREFECTURAL LEVEL- CASE STUDY OF HYOGO PREFECTURE ER AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL- CASE STUDY OF KOBE FIRE DEPARTMENT-

LIFELINE – CASE STUDY OF OSAKA GAS ENGINEERING CO.

-

VOLUNTARY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS JAPAN DISASTER RELIEF TEAMS –INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSEDISASTER PROFILE UNFAVORABLE GEOGRAPHICAL,GEOGRAPHICAL METEOROLOGICAL AND TOPOPGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS ARE MAJOR
CAUSES OF FREQUENTLY OCCURING NATURAL DISASTER IN JAPAN EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS, TYPHOONS, FLOODS, LANDSLIDES AND VOLCANO ERUPTIONS ARE MOSTFREQUENT NATURAL DISASTER
 JAPAN IS LOCATED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF RING OF FIRE AND AT THE JUNCTION OF 4 TECTONICPLATES – EURASIAN PLATE, NORTH AMERICAN PLATE, PACIFIC PLATE AND PHILIPPINES SEA.

DISASTER PROFILE

Annually,y Japanp is hit byy 10‐133 typhoons
ypwhich bringg heavyy rains and strong
g winds

DISASTER PROFILEOVERVIEW OF THE DISASTER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CURRENT DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF JAPAN IS BASED ON DISASTER
COUNTERMEASURES BASIC ACT, WHICH WAS ENACTED IN 1961
 ACCORDING TO THE DCBA, DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN JAPAN IS IMPLEMENTED AT THREELEVELS: NATIONAL, PREFECTURAL, AND MUNICIPALOVERVIEW OF THE DISASTER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMOUTLINEOVERVIEW OF THE DISASTER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMCENTRAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT COUNCIL

Centrall Disaster Management Councill consists off theh prime minister, who
h is thehchairperson, Minister of State for Disaster Management, all ministers, heads of major
public institutions and experts. The council promotes comprehensive disastercountermeasures including deliberating important issues on disaster reduction according
to requests from the Prime Minister or Minister of State for Disaster Management.

OVERVIEW OF THE DISASTER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Along with a series of reforms of the central government system in 2001, theposts of Minister of State for Disaster Management ‐ to integrate andcoordinate disaster reduction policies and measures of ministries and agencies‐ and Director‐General for Disaster Management ‐to undertake basic disastermanagement policies and response to large‐scale disasters, as well as conduct
overall coordination ‐ were established.
Additionally, taking into account lessons learned from the Great Hanshin‐
Awaji Earthquake, the Cabinet Secretariat System was strengthened, including
the appointment of the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management
and the establishment of the Cabinet Information Collection Center, tostrengthen risk management functions to address emergencies such as large‐
scale disasters and serious accidents. Thereby, the Cabinet Office has a role insupporting the Cabinet Secretariat regarding disaster management matters.

LEGAL BASIS FOR
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Major laws for emergency response are 3:
FIRE SERVICE ACT ‐ enacted in July 24, 1948, the purpose of the law is to regulate
fire service within the entire territory of the country as well as functioning
g of fireservice related state agencies.
The organization of the fire defense system in the country is based on the Fire
Defense Organization Law (December 23, 1947)
DISASTER RELIEF ACT ‐ the purpose of the law is to provide essential emergency

relief in the event of a disaster through the cooperation of local governments, non‐governmental organizations, such as the Japanese Red Cross Society, and thegeneral public, so as to protect the disaster victims and maintain social order.
FLOOD CONTROL ACT– the purpose of the law is to watch for and guard against
water‐related
water
related disasters caused by floods or storm surges and mitigate damage inorder to maintain public safety.
The River Act is the major law for river management. Besides, the law lays
down basic flood prevention measures.

OUTLINE OF THE EMERGENCYRESPONSE MECHANISM

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
NATIONAL LEVELCABINET OF LARGE‐
LARGE‐SCALE EMERGENCYRESPONSE MEHANISM

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELFIRE AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY

The Fire Defense Organization Law prescribes that the FDMA conducts research,
formulates plans, etc, concerning fire service systems in order to strengthen the fire defense
capabilities of municipalities. To this end it provides, it provides municipalities with advice,guidance and recommendations concerning their fire service organizations and activities.
activities It
however does not have the power to control such organizations and activities.
Regarding emergency response, the FDMA also functions as a contact center between local fire‐
defense related organizations and government and coordination body during the large scaledisasters and accidents

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVEL
FDMA EMERGENCY FIRE RESPONSE TEAMSIn the case of large‐scale disasters when fire fighting organizations cannot cope alone, elite
emergency rescue teams of the FDMA, known as, Emergency Fire Response Teams assist them.
Emergency FireE
Fi Response
R
Teams
T
was foundedfd d ini 1995, after
ft theth Great
G t Hanshin‐Awaji
H hi A ji
Earthquake and institutionalized by the Fire Defense Organization Law as amended in 2003.
Officially, EFRT founded in 2004.
EMERGENCY FIRE RESPONSE TEAMS consist of:Firefighting Teams
Rescue Teamsg
Teams
LogisticalgSupport Teams
Emergency
Special Disaster Teams
Special Equipment Teams
Air Squadrons
Marine Squadrons
As of 2004, 2800 Emergency Fire Response Teams has been registered across the country
covering about 15 % all fire brigades in Japan.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVEL
FDMA EMERGENCY FIRE RESPONSE TEAMSEMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELMINISTRY OF HEALTH, LABOUR AND WELFARE

Under Disaster Relief Act, MHLW , in cooperation with prefecture governments, is the
key organization to conduct disaster relief and assistance policy during large‐scaledisasters.
Disaster relief and assistance policy including the urgent rescue and evacuation
activities of the Ministry are managed by the Social Welfare and War Victims’ Relief
Bureau through the permanent Disaster Relief Contact‐Coordination Council
established under the authority of the Ministry.
The Disaster Response Headquarter are set up only during the big emergencies which
perform the following functions:‐ summarize the information on disaster compiled by relevant bodies of the Ministry‐ controll andd coordinatedididisaster
response measures, sharehoff theh informationi f
i among
the structural bodies of the Ministry and with other relevant bodies and organizations‐ constantly contact with high ranking officials of the Ministry‐ control over the regular compilation of awareness and informational materials
regardinggg the situation with the damage
g and disaster responsepactivities and measures
In addition, the Ministry dispatches its employees to damaged regions and establishes
local disaster response headquarters within the Regional Bureau of Health, Labor andWelfare if needed.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVEL
BASIC DISASTER RELIEF MECHANISM
UNDER DISASTER RELIEF ACTEMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELMINISTRY OF LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE,
TRANSPORTATION AND TOURISM

The MLIT conducts disaster management policy at national level in relation to flood and sedimentdisasters. Alongside with other phases of emergency management the ministry also actively involved in
response phase and to this end Disaster Prevention Centre was established.








Disaster Prevention Centre established in the MLIT performs the following functions:
Mobilizing leaders, staff members and related department members
Observing and distributing meteorological information, site images, etc.
Collecting and sharing information (integrating damage information)
Sharing information with ministers' offices, other ministries and agencies, local departments, etc.
Providing information to the public
Regional assistance,
assistance assistance to local governments

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELMINISTRY OF LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE,
TRANSPORTATION AND TOURISM

In case of the large-scale disasters MLIT renders assistance to local governments:

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELJAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY

JMA is semi‐autonomous agency of the MLIT. Besides, functioning as the central weather service
agency of Japan, the agency has established comprehensive surveillance and awareness providing
mechanism with regard to earthquake, typhoon and volcano hazards. Regarding flood forecast
Director‐General of Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) In the event of the imminence of a flood orstorm surge, the Director‐General of JMA informs the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism and the prefectural governors concerned of the present
state.
state

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELJAPAN COAST GUARD

Disaster preparedness and marine search and rescue is one of the main activity direction of
the JCG. It is the responsibility of JCG to conduct search and rescue operation once accident
such as boat/vessel involved accidents occur.
Reports of incidents and accidents and requests for help can also quickly be made to the JCG
when
h the
h needd arisesibby dialling
di lli 118
8 on a mobile
bil or onboard
b d phone.
hCalls
C ll fromflandlinel dli arereceived by the respective regional centers, whereas, the calls from onboard phones are
directed to headquarters.
goil spills, the discharge
g of hazardous
To respond to such maritime disasters as large‐scaleand noxious substances, and shipboard fires, the JCG has stationed fire‐fighting ships anddisaster mitigation equipment around the country.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
AT NATIONAL LEVELSELF DEFENSE FORCESThe SDF disaster relief role is defined in Article 83 of the Self‐Defense Forces Law of 1954,
requiring units to respond to calls for assistance from prefectural governors to aid in firefighting,gg, earthquakeqdisasters,, searches for missing
g persons,p, rescues,, and reinforcement ofembankments and levees in the event of flooding.
The SDF conducts a variety of disaster relief operations in collaboration with municipal
governments whenh disastersdsuch
h as naturall disasters
doccur in any part off theh country, b
byengaging in the search and rescue of disaster victims or missing ships or aircraft, controlling
floods, offering medical treatment, preventing epidemics, supplying water, and transporting
personnel and goods.
goods
SDF are deployed only upon the request of prefectural governor. Municipal mayors can ask
prefectural governors to request a disaster relief dispatch by the SDF.
Over 100,000 SDF personnel were dispatched at a peak time for relief operations for thelarge‐scale earthquake and nuclear disaster based on the Great East Japan Earthquake inMarch 2011.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
PREFECTURE LEVEL

To carry out its disaster management responsibilities relevant departments anddivisions is established within each prefecture.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
PREFECTURE LEVEL

The following responsibilities fall under the jurisdiction of prefectures:‐ Liaison and coordination among municipal fire services‐ Advice,
Ad i guidanceidandd recommendations
d ti
regardingdi municipal
i i l firefi servicesi‐ Direction regarding disaster prevention measures and requests for assistancemeasures during an emergency‐ Education and training
g for
f firef service p
personnel and volunteers ((at pprefecturalffire academies)‐ Formulation of prefectural disaster prevention plans and implementation ofcomprehensive disaster countermeasures.
In the event of large‐scale disasters, disaster relief headquarter is established in
the prefecture government.
Police staffs which engage in search‐rescue operations during disasters join
emergency response upon the request of prefectural government which in turnusually acts so upon the request of mayor of affected municipality.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
PREFECTURE LEVELHYOGO PREFECTURE DM AND ER SYSTEM

Location: Honshu Island, Kansai regionAArea:
8,393.348k 2
kmPopulation: 5, 58 million
Capital and the largest city: Kobe
Hyogo is the 12th largest prefecture of Japan. The prefecture consists of 41
municipalities and 8 districts.
Disaster Management Center of Hyogo Prefecture Government was established inAugust, 2000. It was the first local government office dedicated to disaster managementin Japan.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
PREFECTURE LEVELHYOGO PREFECTURE DM AND ER SYSTEM

Phoenix Disaster Management System collects disaster information from 334 terminals
installed in such disaster management agencies as prefectural governments offices, district
administration offices, local administrative organs, municipalities, fire headquarters, police
headquarters, police stations, self‐defense forces, national government (Fire and Disaster
Managementg
Agency,g
y etc.), lifeline p
providers, etc.
Main function of the system are: collection of observation data, prediction of earthquake
damage, collection of damage information, geographic information, image information,
estimation of demand and supply of people.
Hyogo Satellite Communication Network – 166 satellite‐based
satellite based stations across theprefecture has been installed to collect and transmit emergency contacts, meteorological,
disaster and other information (transmission of voice, video, facsimiles and other data) via
disaster administration wireless system that connects the prefectural office, district
administration offices, municipalities, fire headquarters, and other points using satellite
communications and goods,
goods etc
etc.
Video Phone System has been set up for information exchange between prefectural andmunicipal disaster management headquarters during disasters.
Helicopter Video Transmission system – Besides the prefectural police helicopter system,
prefectural fire and disaster‐prevention helicopters are utilized to transmit video images tothe Disaster Management Center. As of 2006, there were 260 designated helipads across theprefecture.
24‐hourhmonitoringit i – 24‐hourhmonitoringit i andd quick‐response
i ksystemtisi maintainedi t i d inianticipation of the occurrence of a disaster or other emergency.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
PREFECTURE LEVELHYOGO PREFECTURE DM AND ER SYSTEMREGIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BASES

Regional emergency management bases
store rescue equipment and relief supplies
f victims, collect
for
ll
and
dd
distributebreliefl f
supplies, and assemble and mobilize
emergency relief workers. Currently, 4
regional emergency management bases areat theh disposaldl Hyogo Prefecturefgovernment, while one more base is underconstruction and the construction ofanother is planned. The area of the largestbbase– Miki Earthquake
E hk Disaster
Di
MemorialM
i lPark is about 220
hectares.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
MUNICIPAL LEVELIn Japan, the municipalities are obliged to fully carry out the fire services intheir areas. They implement the actual fire service affairs such as fire fighting
and rescue and ambulance services.
services
The organizations for handling the fire services consist of fire departments,
fire stations and volunteer fire corps. The municipalities are required toorganize some or all of these organizations. Main affairs handled by themunicipalities are:‐ Establishment, management and operation of fire service organizations.
‐ Fire prevention, fire fighting, rescue and ambulance services, and response toearthquake, storm and flood damage‐ Formulation off municipal
p disaster prevention
p
plans
p
and implementationpoffcomprehensivehdisasterdcountermeasures.
“119 hot line” centers are managed by municipal fire departments.
The 23 wards of Tokyo are exceptions. Fire services of these municipalities areh dl d byhandledb theth TokyoT k prefecture.
f t

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
MUNICIPAL LEVELKOBE CITY MUNICIPALITY ER SYSTEM

Outline of Kobe City
Surface area: 552.83 km2
Population: 1,542,458 people
The number of households: 685,639 households
Status of Kobe Fire Department
Organization
Fire Department Head Quarters (1), Fire Stations((10),), Fire Station Division (1),( ),Fire Station Branches (18), First Aid Station (1)Number of employees: 1,396 people (quorum)
Number of resources, such as fire engines(total: 232 units)
Number of fire engines: 133 units (Pumpers,(Pumpers
Pumpers with foam, Aerial ladders, Rescue tracks,
Special disaster response vehicle, etc.)
Number of ambulance: 36 units
Number of other vehicles: 63 units (vehicles forinspection andd public
bl relations,ltransportation
vehicles, etc.)
Fireboat: 1 unit
Aircraft (Helicopter): 2 units

Fire Fighting Water Source Facilities(Total: 33,521 units)
Number of hydrants: 29,936 units
Number of tank for firefighting: 2,257 units (of thenumber of earthquake‐proof
earthquake proof tank: 259)
Number of other water source facilities: 1,328 (pools,
ponds, rivers, etc.)

EMERGENCY RESPONSE AT
MUNICIPAL LEVELKOBE CITY MUNICIPALITY ER SYSTEM
KOBE FIRE DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ROOM

Operation room of the Kobe Fire Department serves as a coordination and emergency hotline center.
Once a call received automated system identifies and displays caller’s data and exact location at thedigital map.
In order to ensure that all incoming calls are received 126 telephones lines are being utilized. In
addition, 5 surveillance cameras to ensure safety situation at strategic places are managed by the
Operation Room, meteorological situation in Kobe City area, National Broadcasting Channel – NHK
are observed.
For the purpose of coordination of emergency medical service daily information on medical staff shifts,
vacant rooms, etc are received from designated hospitals.
The dTh
department has
h takenk some measures iin orderd didisabled
bl d andd agingi persons to b
be ablebl to callll 119 hhotline easily. To this end special fax sheets, landline telephones which enable one to call 119 hot line withthe click of just a button has been elaborated ‐ or ordinary landline telephones reconfigured to support
the same function ‐ and distributed to registered persons. Once such a call received all the personal andhealth data are displayed automatically.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE BYOTHER BODIES/AGENCIESDISASTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TEAMSDisaster Medical Assistance Teams are
specialized and trained medical aid teams
which operate during large‐scale disasters.
DMAT system was established in 2005 basedon the lessons of Great Hanshin Awaji
Earthquake.
In guidelines for deployment prepared by
MHLW DMATs are defined as “mobile
MHLW,
mobile,trained medical teams that can be rapidly
deployed during the acute phase of a disasterwithin48
hours
hours.
MHLW ensures overall coordination of relief
activities, collect and share information andassist local government in decision‐making.
decision‐making
As of March 2008, 305 medical facilities, 442
teams, and 2,609 individuals had been
trained.
trained

Functioning of DMAT are based on the agreements
betweenprefectural
governments
andmedicalestablishments and DMATs are deployed only upon therequest of government of disaster affected prefecture
unless the one following conditions is not the case:an earthquake of Japanese seismic intensity 5 occurring
within any of the 23 wards of Tokyo;
an earthquake of Japanese seismic intensity of nearly 6 orgreater occurring in any other area (outside of the 23 wardsof Tokyo);a tsunami alert is issued; an earthquake alert is issued for
the Tokai region; or large‐scale aircraft crash occurs.
occursEMERGENCY RESPONSE BYOTHER BODIES/AGENCIESJAPAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION TEAM

The concept
p of JJMAT had been building
g up
p since 2009
9 byy a subcommittee of the JJapan
p Medical
Association’s Committee on Emergency and Disaster Medicine.
For the first time, JMAT came into action in March 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake
occurred.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE BYOTHER BODIES/AGENCIESJAPAN RED CROSS SOCIETY

The JRCS is designated as a “Designated Public Corporation” by the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act andthe Disaster Relief Act, and is required to co‐operate with the Government to offer relief assistance in times ofdisaster.
There are 488 response teams – 6844 medical relief personnel across. Each team consists of six personnel: adoctor, a head nurse, two nurses, and two administrators.
The domestic disaster relief activities of the JRCS are as follows:・MedicalM di l relief
li f andd psychologicalh l i l care・Storage and distribution of relief goods
・Provision of blood products
・Collection and distribution of voluntary donations
The Society has undertaken a number of disaster relief activities at home since 1888, when it sent its first
medical relief team to assist the victims of the Mt. Bandai eruption.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE BYOTHER BODIES/AGENCIESBUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The BRI is actively involved in response measures taken in immediate aftermath ofearthquakes, as well as in long term measures. It conducts preliminary damage
assessments of buildings just after an earthquake hit the area thereby defining whichbuildings is still can be exploited which are not. Having completed assessment of eachbuilding BRI specialist attach an special sticker on what enables one to define
vulnerability level of a building.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE BYOTHER BODIES/AGENCIESJAPAN BROADCASTING COMPANY ‐ NHK VAST RESOURCES DEDICATED TO DISASTERRESPONSE
14 HELICOPTERS AT 12 LOCATIONS AND 460 REMOTE
CONTROLLED CAMERAS COUNTRYWIDECOMPREHENSIVE COORDINATION ESTABLISHED WITH
JMA
Small quakes detected the JMA before strong earthquake occurs,
automatically redirected to NHK within a few seconds,
seconds (moreover,(moreover
NHK has installed seismic intensity meters at 73 locations
countrywide) what enables it to issue public alert promptly andprovide necessary information regarding the magnitude andprecise location of the earthquake as well as tsunami information
nationwide.
ti
id
Emergency Warning System (EWS) utilized in collaboration the
JMA is carried out only in special emergency cases such as large‐
scale tsunami and earthquake warnings or based on the request of
governors and mayors ‐ the system switches on tv sets and radios –4 tv channels and 3 radio channels belong to NHK ‐ automatically.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE BYOTHER BODIES/AGENCIESLIFELINE CRISIS MANAGEMENT CASE STUDYOSAKA GAS ENGINEERING CO. – CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
In order to determine whether damage has been caused by earthquakes or not and quickly estimate the extent of thatdamage, gas companies in Japan use seismometers that can measure SI as an indicator of gas pipeline and structural
damage. The seismometers are tied into an automatic shutoff system.
In order to smoothly produce and supply city gas, Osaka Gas remotely monitors and controls city gas supply 24‐hours aday.
Safety is ensured in areas heavily damaged by earthquakes by stopping city gas supply. The intelligent gas meters
installed at each customer’s location automaticallyy shut off at 200 (g(gal).
) Furthermore,, low pressurepgas
g supply
pp y isautomatically shut off in earthquakes capable of damaging pipelines and structures by an automatic shut‐off systeminstalled at medium pressure. Moreover, in extreme cases (widespread damage), city gas supply can be shut off remotelyfrom the Central Control Center and Back‐Up Center.
Back‐UpBack
Up Center serves as an alternative to Central Control Center – if,
if in the event earthquake Central Control Center isdamaged and is no more capable of remotely monitor and control city gas supply Back‐Up Center built with aseismic
systems and other state‐of‐the‐art technology for 24‐hour operation can take over control.

VOLUNTARY EMERGENCYRESPONSE TEAMSVOLUNTARY FIREFIGHTING CORPSORGANIZED BY MUNICIPALITIESNOT PROFESSIONIOALS – ENGAGED AT FIREFIGHTING AS SECONDARY OCCUPATIONINDEPENDENT FROM FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND FIRES STATIONS BUT DURING EMERGENCIESMUST FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS.
ONE MUNICIPALITY – ONE CORPS PRINCIPLESUIBO‐DAN
SUIBO
DAN – VOLUNTARY FLOOD FIGHTING TEAMSNOT PROFESSIONALS – ENGAGED AT FLOOD FIGHTING AS SECONDARY OCCUPATIONDURING PERIODS WITHOUT FLOODING CONDUCT PATROLS AND INSPECTION OF LEVEESABOUT 900 000 FLOOD FIGHTERS NATIONWIDE – AS OF 2009.
BOKOMI – COMMUNITY BASED DISASTER RESPONSE IN KOBE CITY
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT BASED ORGANIZATIONSESTABLISHED BY ALL 191 DISTRICTS OF KOBE CITY
EQUIPMENTS AND MATERIALS PROVIDED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTSTOREHOUSES INSTALLED IN LOCAL PARKSCONDUCT VARIOUS EMERGENCY RESPONSE RELATED DRILL (EQUIPMENT USE, RESCUE,EVACUATION)
ALSO CONDUCT WELFARE ACTIVITIES (FOR EX. HOLDING LUNCH GATHERING WITH ELDERLYPEOPLE WHO LIVE ALONE)SCHOOLS SERVE ALSO AS EVACUATIONS SITE DURING EMERGENCIESINTERNATIONALEMERGENCY RESPONSE
JAPAN DISASTER RELIEF TEAMS DISPATCHED IN THE CASE OF LARGE‐SCALELARGE SCALE DISASTERS UPON THE REQUEST OF THE AFFECTEDCOUNTRY DISPATCH IS CARRIED OUT BY JICA FOLLOWING THE ORDER BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRSOF JAPANJ
FOUR TYPES OF JDR TEAMS FOUR WAREHOUSES WORLDWIDE:GERMANY –FRANKFURTUSA – MIAMISOUTH AFRICA – JOHANESSBURG
SINGAPUR 8 PRIORITY GOODS AT WAREHOUSES:tents, sleeping pads, plastic sheeting(tarpaulins), blankets, portable watercontainerst i( l ti jerry(plasticjcans),) waterttanks, water purifiers and electric
generators.

CONCLUSION
MAIN FEATURESCHANGES AND ADVANCEMENTS DRIVEN BY PREVIOUS LARGE‐SCALE DISASTERS –BASED ON THE LESSONS OF PREVIOUS NATURAL DISASTERS SYSTEM HAS
UNDERGONE BOTH ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS.
DECENTRALIZED – CENTRAL ROLE PLAYED BY MUNICIPALITIES, EACHRESPONSIBLE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE WITHIN ITS TERRITORY. THE
GROWING TREND OF DECENTRALIZATION IS OBSERVED.
MULTILEVEL EMERGENCY RESPONSE – DEPENDING ON THE SCALE OF DISASTER
EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS CONDUCTED ON LOCAL, PREFECTURAL AND
NATIONAL LEVELS.
AD HOC RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS – AT EACH LEVEL NECESSARY FACILITIES AND
CONDITIONS HAS BEEN CREATED AND COORDINATION MECHANISM PUT IN
PLACE FOR INSTANT ESTABLISHMENT OF RESPONSE HEADQUARTERS.
CRUCIAL COLLABORATION WITH JMA AND MLIT – JMA AND MLIT ARE KEY
BODIES FOR DISASTER PREDICTION AND GOOD CO‐OPERATION MECHANISM
BETWEEN THEM ENABLES RESPONDING DISASTER TIMELY AND IN CO‐
ORDINATED MANNER.
MANNER

CONCLUSIONGOOD PRACTICES – LESSONS TO LEARN

SUCCESSFUL PROMOTION OF VOLUNTARY EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND DISASTER AWARENESS AMONG
PUBLIC – BIG NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS AND HIGH LEVEL OF
PREPAREDNESS.
SUCCESFFUL PROMOTION OF SPECIALIZED EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS – EMERGENCY MEDICAL TEAMSSUCH AS, DMAT AND JMAT HAS ESTABLISHED NATIONWIDE NETWORK.
COMPREHENSIVE COORDINATION MECHANISM AMONG MUNICIPALITIES AND HOSPITALS FOR EMERGENCY
MEDICAL RESPONSE – CONSTANT INFORMATION SHARING IS ENSURED BETWEEN MUNICIPAL FIRE
DEPARTMENTS AND DESIGNATED HOSPITALS.
INTEGRATED MEASURES ENABLING DISABLED AND AGED PEOPLE EASILY TO MAKE EMERGENCY CALLS –DATABASE OF AGED PEOPLE AND SICKNESS HISTORY OF THEM AT CALL CENTERS,CENTERS SPECIAL DEVICES FOR ONE‐ONE
BUTTON EMERGENCY CALL AND ETC.
COMPREHENSIVE MECHANISM OF EMERGENCY BROADCASTING BY NATIONAL TELEVISION – THANKS TO
CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH JMA AND ESTABLISHED AUTOMATED EMERGENCY WARNING, HUGE FACILITIESAND EQUIPMENTS IN ITS DISPOSAL NHK PLAYS CENTRAL ROLE IN DISASTER BROADCASTING AND
EMERGENCY WARNING.
EFFECTIVE LIFELINE CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM – RECENT DISASTERS PROVED HIGH LEVEL OF EMERGENCYRESPONSE PREPAREDNESS AND CAPABILITIES BY LIFELINE – ELECTRICITY AND GAS – PROVIDERS.
INTEGRATION OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR DISASTER PREDICTION, CONTROL AND RESILIENCE ANDCOMPREHENSIVE COLLABORATION WITH OTHER RELEVANT BODIES ARE THE KEY REASONS.